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Boy, 2, drank caustic soda in shop

A little boy has been admitted to hospital with burns to his throat and stomach after he drank caustic soda while in a shop.

Police were called shortly before 7.35pm on Monday by staff at the Manchester Children's Hospital after a two-year-old boy was admitted with burns to the throat and stomach.

The toddler was shopping with his mother when they went into a shop on Claremont Road in Moss Side, Greater Manchester, on Sunday, a police spokesman said.

The child was strapped into his push chair and when his mother was not looking he reached over to a bottle containing caustic soda, took the top off and drank some.

The toddler remains in hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable.

A joint investigation by Greater Manchester Police and Cheshire East Council Trading Standards is now under way.

Superintendent Sarah Jones, from the South Manchester Division, said: "Caustic soda is a highly toxic chemical commonly found in drain and oven cleaners.

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"If it is touched, inhaled or swallowed it can cause severe burns. This little boy took a drink from a bottle and is now seriously ill in hospital.

"I want to take this opportunity to remind people when storing products of this nature to make sure the lids of the bottles are on tightly, keep them in a cool place and out of reach from children, preferably in a locked cupboard."

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